SENATE DOCKET, NO. 956        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 608

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Brendan P. Crighton

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act mandating access to cancer screenings for firefighters through health care benefits plans or programs provided by the public employer.

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PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Brendan P. Crighton

Third Essex

 

Vanna Howard

17th Middlesex

1/27/2023

Susannah M. Whipps

2nd Franklin

1/27/2023

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

1/27/2023

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

1/30/2023

Marc R. Pacheco

Third Bristol and Plymouth

1/30/2023

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

2/8/2023

Mark C. Montigny

Second Bristol and Plymouth

2/8/2023

Pavel M. Payano

First Essex

2/8/2023

Paul R. Feeney

Bristol and Norfolk

3/2/2023

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

3/13/2023

John C. Velis

Hampden and Hampshire

6/7/2023

Andres X. Vargas

3rd Essex

9/25/2023

Barry R. Finegold

Second Essex and Middlesex

11/13/2023

Nick Collins

First Suffolk

1/22/2024


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 956        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 608

By Mr. Crighton, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 608) of Brendan P. Crighton, Vanna Howard, Susannah M. Whipps, Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. and other members of the General Court for legislation to mandate access to cancer screenings for firefighters through health care benefits plans or programs provided by the public employer.  Financial Services.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

An Act mandating access to cancer screenings for firefighters through health care benefits plans or programs provided by the public employer.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

A firefighter employed as a full-time paid employee of a fire department of the state or a city, town, fire or water district, shall be provided a cancer screening examination conducted by a physician not less than three years after the start of the firefighter’s employment as a firefighter and every three years thereafter during the course of the firefighter’s employment.

This section shall also apply to members of the Massachusetts military reservation fire department, members of the 104th fighter wing fire department, and members of the Devens fire department established pursuant to chapter 498 of the acts of 1993 and, for the purposes of this section, the Massachusetts Port Authority, the Massachusetts Military Reservation, the Barnes Air National Guard Base and the Devens Regional Enterprise Zone established pursuant to said chapter 498 shall be fire districts.

The examination shall include screening for, at a minimum and when applicable, the following cancers: colon; lung; bladder; oral; thyroid; skin; blood; breast; cervical; testicular; and prostate.

All costs associated with screenings provided under this section shall be borne by the firefighter’s health care benefits plan or program provided by the firefighter’s employer. No co-payment, deductible, coinsurance, or any out-of-pocket expense shall be required for such examinations. 

This act shall take effect immediately upon passage.